Bio
Barry has been retained by a wide range of clients seeking the benefit of his recognized skills; his keen ability to analyze a case and formulate a winning strategy, and his “trademark clarity and forcefulness in the courtroom.” His clients have ranged from individuals to mult-national companies across a wide range of industries, many of them listed below. He has appeared in federal and state courtrooms across the country from local trial courts to the highest court in the land. He has represented on a strictly non-partisan basis, public officers from local officials to state legislators, members of Congress, state supreme court justices, multiple government agencies, and a winning candidate for President of the United States. He has won victories in which he has established important constitutional principles and successfully defended mult-billion dollar and bet-the-company cases.
Barry has been nationally recognized by the highest lawyer rating organizations and publications for his trial and appellate work. A lifelong dedication to the field of law has garnered a lengthy list of professional recognitions, some listed below. Among them, he has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers, which limits its membership to one percent of the lawyers in the United States and Canada, and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, which limits its membership to 500 lawyers in the United States and internationally.
“Lawyer of the Year”
Four Wins
US Supreme Court
100 most influential lawyers in america
30 Years - Lead Outside Attorney to the Florida Bar
Following 32 years of great success with Greenberg Traurig Law firm, Barry went on to establish Barry Richard Law Firm ~ A vision that embodies a very different model than his larger cournterparts. Barry Richard Law Firm is a hightly focused practice with a resticted number of cases by design. This allows Barry to fully devote himself personally to the entirety of all cases, up to the largest and most complex lawsuits. With each case, Barry is directly involved from the start, from formulating the winning strategy and drafting documents to standing in the courtroom speaking on behalf of the client.
A client facing a serious legal threat is as anxious to talk to his or her lawyer as a patient having chest pains is to talk to a cardiologist. My clients have my cell phone number which I try to answer on the first ring. If I’m in court, I answer by the end of the day.
Clients receive the benefit of Barry’s recognized skills and personal attention without the burden of nonessential staff. Large law firms necessarily retain large staffs which every client pays for directly or indirectly even when unnecessary to the client’s matter. Barry Richard Law Firm tailors the staff to the case.
Practice
Concentrations
Complex Commercial Litigation
Government and Election Law
State and Federal Constitutional Law
Securities Litigation
Appellate Practice
State Bar Admissions
Florida
New York
Washington, DC
Federal Bar Admissions
United States Supreme Court U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
Select Memberships
Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers, limited to 500 US lawyers and 150 International Lawyers.
Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers Limited to 1% of lawyers in each US state and Canadian province.
Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America Limited to 3500 lawyers in the US
Charter Member, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
Representative Present & Past Clients
Business & Financial
Alliance Capital
American Airlines
AmSouth Bank
Anheuser-Busch
Associated Industries of Florida
Associated Industries Ins. Co.
Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp.
Big Fish PR
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Conoco Phillips
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Delta Airlines
Ernst & Young
Federal Express
Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Press Association
Florida Retail Federation
Florida Society of Newspaper Editors
Gulf Power Company
Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.
JP Morgan Bank NationsBank
Northwest Airlines
Seminole Tribe of Florida
Southeast Bank
United Airlines
USAA Insurance Company
USAir
Wal-Mart
Legal
The Florida Bar
Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers
Justice Barbara Pariente
Justice Peggy Quince
Justice Fred Lewis
Florida Association of Court Clerks
Healthcare Industry
Citrus County Hospital
Tampa Heart Institute
Halifax Health
Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc.
Janssen Pharmaceutical Products
GOVERNMENT & POLITICAL
President George W. Bush (R)
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D)
U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy (D)
Governor Bob Graham (D)
Governor Jeb Bush (R)
Governor Jim Scott (R)
Florida Senate
Florida House of Representatives
Florida Department of State
Florida Secretary of State Jim Smith (R)
Florida Senate President John McKay (R)
Florida Senate President Tom Lee (R)
Florida House of Representatives Speaker – Tom Feeney (R)
Tallahassee Mayor John Marks (D)
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC)
Florida Lottery
Florida Department of Citrus
Insurance Industry
Citizens Property Insurance Corp
Florida Insurance Guaranty Association
Heritage Property & Casualty Co.
Occidental Life Insurance Co.
Philadelphia American Life Ins. Co.
Progressive Insurance Co.
Prudential Insurance Co. of America
Southern Fidelity Insurance Company
Winterthur International, Ltd. (Swiss)
Education
Florida State University
University of Florida
HISTORY
Barry served two years of active duty as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the United States Navy. In that capacity, he was assigned as legal advisor to the commanding officer of the Twelfth Naval District medical facilities in Northern California. After completing active duty with special commendation in 1970, Barry began private practice in Miami followed by service as Chief Deputy Attorney General for the State of Florida from 1972-1974 and a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1974-1978. Soon after Barry and several partners formed a firm to provide commercial litigation and government consulting services. In 1991 the firm merged with Greenberg Traurig, then a Florida law firm with 300+ attorneys. Barry remained a principal shareholder with Greenberg Traurig for several decades, during which time the firm rose to become one of the largest and most reputable in the US.
In 2000, Barry represented George W. Bush in the Florida litigation that determined the presidency. In that capacity, he effectively managed 47 cases throughout the state, personally arguing many of them. The Washington Post quoted, “I’ve seen lawyers do marathons, and I’ve seen lawyers do triathlons but I’ve never seen a lawyer do a marathon and a triathlon at the same time. If Bush survives Vice President Gore’s election challenge, he’ll owe a lot of the work to Richard.”
Barry made the decision to leave Greenberg Traurig amicably in 2023 to form Barry Richard Law Firm.
Philosophy
A Path to Victory
When clients bring me their cases, I don’t tell them how I have won past cases. I tell them how we are going to win their cases.
The Most Important Case
I’m often asked what my most important case has been. Every case in which a client’s vital interests are at stake is the most important one in the world to that client. So when I’m standing in the courtroom entrusted with protecting those interests, that case is the most important one in the world to me at the moment.
Settlement
The certainty of a good settlement is better than the prospect of a great trial victory but a good settlement only happens when the opposing side faces the prospect of a bad defeat. My job is to confront them with that prospect.
Rambo Litigation
Rambo litigation is unnecessarily costly to the client, risks irritating the judge and jury, and never increases the chance of victory. A lawyer can represent a client zealously while remaining respectful to opposing counsel.
Before the Battle
Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese military strategist, in his book “The Art of War,” taught lessons for military battles that apply to courtroom battles as well. Tzu taught that “all battles are won before they start.” Legal battles are won by keen analysis and thorough preparation.
Capturing the Jury
We are a storytelling species. Stories well told capture the attention of an audience. An opening trial statment or a closing oral argument should never be a simple recitation of evidence. It should be a story well told.
Recognition
Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating
The National Law Journal, Lawyer of the Year
The National Law Journal, The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America
Lawdragon Magazine, 500 Leading Litigators in America
Florida Trend Attorney Hall of Fame
Florida Trend Legal Elite / Attorney Hall of Fame
The Florida Bar Traditions of Excellence Award
Law360 Trial Aces
Super Lawyers
Best Lawyers
Barry Richard Law Firm
(850) 274-1814 (Direct Line)
101 East College Ave Tallahassee, Florida 32301